Flame arrester



Nov. 12, 1929. "r. J. CALHOUN FLAME ARRESTER Filed Feb. 2, 1927 INi ENTQR. Wa ZZZ/710201 Patented Nov. 12, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRACY J. CALHOUN, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OIL CONSERVATION ENG-HEERING COMPANY, OF GLE'VELAN D, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO FLAME ARRESTED.

Application filed February 2, 1927; Serial No. 165,393.

The present invention relates to flame arresters for oil tank breather pipes and more particularly to the construction of the arrester proper to provide proper protection against flame propagation into the tank and at the same time to provide a construction which is light enough to be easily mounted without danger of injuring the tank. Such devices are mounted near the outlet ends of breather pipes which are'often connected or attached to the tank roof and which must allow free access of air into the tank and must also allow for free passage of formed gases out of the tank. 7

The present construction provides a bank of aluminum tubes of relatively small cross sectional area, this area being small enough to stop a flame. The tubes in the present instance are built up by placing alternate flat and corrugated sheets'together and then compressing these sheets under high pressure into a unitary bank, the pressure belng suflicient to form closed tubes by having the corrugations forced tightly against the metal of L the fiat sheets. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the inventionmay be used.

In said annexeddrawing: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the arrester; Fig. 2 is a side elevatlonal View of the same showing one of the covers removed; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tube bank looking from the top of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 1s an enlarged fragmentary view showing the arrangement of the plates in the tube bank. r The present arrester provides a casing 1 having an enlarged central portion 2 and and end terminating in suitable pipe connecting ends 3 and 6, the end 3 being shown as providing an interiorly threaded flange 24 for engagement with an exteriorly threaded breather pipe 5 while the other end provides a flanged connection 6 for engagement with a pipe flange 7, the two being secured together by means of bolts 8. Two sides 9 of the casing are faced to provide seating surfaces for covers 10 which are removably secured in place by bolts or-cap screws 11.

g The tube bank consists of a series of flat aluminum sheets 15 and an alternate series of corrugated aluminum plates 16 these plates being pressed together to form a series of individual tubes having a cross sectional area of approximately .0048 of a square inch. This tube area must be small enough to stop flame from passing through the tube and the area is dependent upon several factors such as length of tubes and size of breather pipe. The tube bankis built up of these plates and has two end plates 26 which are placed on the aluminum sheets and when the bank has been forced together under heavy pressure, two tie rods 17 are provided which hold the bank plates in position. At each corner of the bank is mounted an angle strip 18 held to the'end plates by means of screw threaded bolts 19, thus forming the bank into a unit which can be readily handled. To each of the end plates is attached a handle 20 and the bank as made to have a snug sliding fit into the casing which is squared to receive it through either one of the sides which are closed by the covers 10. 1

Theend plates 26 and the tie rods 17 are preferably made of steel and lead coated or covered while the corner angles 18 are made of bronze Heretofore arresters of this type have been made of brass which is theoretically a better flame arresting material than aluminum. B using the aluminum sheets, the weight of the bank and thus of the associated parts is of the aluminum lightened, and when tested out the aluminum banks proved to give a very much better type of arrester than the earlier brass banks. It has been found possible to decrease the length bank materially and thus the weight duced, making the final structure of greatly reduced weight. which is of importance as these arresters are mounted in tank vents. The combined area of the tubes in the bank is proportioned to the cross sectional area of the breather pipe and is normally greater than the area of such breather pipe and is such as to obtain the desired frictional resistance through the completed unit.

For pipes of three, four and six inches in diametenthe tube bank length of six inches, while for a two inch pipe a length of four and one-half inches is Suficient. For the larger sizes and ten inch pipes, the tubes are ten and twelve inches long respectively. These are lengths that are approved by The Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., and are materially shorter than previous approved lengths for brass tubes. These brass tubes for three, four and six inch pipes were twelve inches long, and for an eight inch pipe, a length of fourteen inches was required.

Thus the present aluminum banks provide an arrester which is muchlighter because of the discovery that aluminum banks are more eflicient than the brass banks heretofore used.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or theequivalent of such statedmeans be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

'1. A flame arrester formed of aluminum and providing a bank of small aluminum walled passages ada ted to be inserted in a breather or other pipe for the passage of inflammable gases.

2. A flamearrester formed of aluminum and providing a bank of aluminum walled passages of individual cross section area of approximately .005 square inch, adapted to be fitted in a casing for insertion in a breather or other pipe for the passage of inflammable gases.

3. A flame arrester for tank vents consisting of a vent pipe, a casing inserted therein, and a ember formed of aluminum and providing a multiplicity of small aluminum walled passages adapted to be inserted in said casing, the cross sectional area of the individual walled passages and the length of such walled passages being such as to prevent flame propagation therethrough.

4. A flame-arrester for of the entire arrester is again re is made with a tube vent pipe, and a member formed of aluminum and providing a multiplicity of small aluminum walled passages adapted to be inserted in said casing, the size of the individual walled passage, the length of the walled passages and the combined cross sectional area of the entire bank of walled passages being proportioned to the size of thevent pipe to prevent flame propagation.

Signed by me at Cleveland, Ohio, this 27th day of January, 1927.

i TRACY J. CALHOUN.

such as the eight tankvents consist- 55 mg of a vent plpe. a casing mounted in said 

